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CBS/Paramount Sets Phasers To Kill On Star Trek Fan-Fiction With New Guidelines (audioholics.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the trying-to-make-a-point dept.

Audiofan writes from a forum post on Audioholics: The Star Trek fan-fiction controversy that resulted in legal battles between CBS/Paramount and Axanar Productions concluded last week. However, CBS/Paramount have finally put forth its long-awaited guidelines intended to clarify acceptable fan-fiction so that it won't get the creative Star Trek fan sued for copyright infringement. But in doing so, it may have launched Star Trek fan-fiction's torpedo casket into space with a solemn salute. To be or not to be is the question which we ask about the future of Star Trek fan film. Some of the new guidelines for avoiding objections when making your own Star Trek movies and posting them to YouTube include: The fan production must be less than 15 minutes for a single self-contained story, or no more than 2 segments, episodes or parts, not to exceed 30 minutes total, with no additional seasons, episodes, parts, sequels or remakes. Part of the non-commercial requirements include: CBS and Paramount Pictures do not object to limited fundraising for the creation of a fan production, whether 1 or 2 segments and consistent with these guidelines, so long as the total amount does not exceed $50,000, including all platform fees, and when the $50,000 goal is reached, all fundraising must cease. The fan production cannot be distributed in a physical format such as DVD or Blu-ray. If the fan production uses commercially-available Star Trek uniforms, accessories, toys and props, these items must be official merchandise and not bootleg items or imitations of such commercially available products.

6 of 254 comments (clear)

  1. RIP Star Trek Continues by bugnuts · · Score: 5, Informative

    The fundraising issue really bothers me. I know that Star Trek Continues had done some fundraising and was producing 45m episodes that were excellent. The production value was amazing, and they recreated parts of the set that were very convincing.

    This may shut that down, without special dispensation from cbs/p.

  2. Star Wreck ... In the Pirkining by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 4, Informative

    Fortunately, we'll always have Star Wreck - In the Pirkining. Watch it or full downloads in various formats from archive.org. It's funny, lots of poking fun at star trek, and CBS can't do squat about it since it's a parody, doesn't use their characters or their universe.

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  3. Wash, Rinse, Repeat by davmoo · · Score: 5, Informative

    I said it last time this topic came up, and I'll say it again now. Its no surprise to me that their rules are so draconian that they would eliminate pretty much all Star Trek fan fiction created thus far, and would make anyone think twice before bothering to create anything new. The reboot is so horrible they can't survive any real competition. Even with just a short at this point, its obvious that Axanar is going to totally blow away Star trek: Fast & Furious In Space.

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  4. Injustice Served by transami · · Score: 5, Informative

    Lets back up here a bit CBS/Paramount. You didn't invent Star Trek. You didn't even fund it's creation. You know who did: Lucille Ball (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucille_Ball). Yep. That woman. She sunk her company's last penny into it and sold off all her rights to her own TV show to blood suckers like you to do it, until she could not hold any longer and had to sell out completely. If she could have held out another year she would have made it, but not one of you misogynist pigs in the industry would support a woman. So you buy the rights to Star Trek out from under her for a song, and then what do you decide to do? Cancel the show! CANCEL THE SHOW! Only a massive writing campaign by fans restrain you from canceling it, to your recorded dismay, so in retribution you stuff the last season into the Friday night death slot. It wasn't for the massive rerun support of fans you would have shelved the who thing long long ago, in a closet far far forgotten.

    Paramount, you have no shame and I'm not sure you deserve any of the proceeds you've made off this franchise. I wish Lucille Ball could sue you, but alas, she has a statue of limitation. Meanwhile you get to keep exploiting her and Gene's legacy endlessly.

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    1. Re:Injustice Served by tipo159 · · Score: 5, Informative

      A lot of this story is correct, but a lot of it isn't.

      In case you couldn't figure it out, Desilu was Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball's production company, which they ran together. Arnaz handled the business side and Ball handled the creative side. After Ball divorced Arnaz and then remarried, Arnaz couldn't handle working with her anymore. Ball bought him out, but didn't really want to run a company. However, the studio wasn't doing so well at the time and she didn't want the staff to loose their jobs. So, she used 'I Love Lucy' spin-off pilot advance money to pay for shows like 'Star Trek' and 'Mission: Impossible'. Once the studio was doing well enough to be sold for a reasonable price and the staff would keep their jobs, she sold Desilu.

      NBC originally aired 'Star Trek', not CBS. NBC were not inclined to cancel 'Star Trek', because it did well in particular demographics popular with advertisers. Roddenberry started the cancelation rumor and seeded the letter writing campaign. NBC had nothing to do with Gulf + Western's purchase of Desilu; Gulf Western owned Paramount Studios and renamed Desilu as Paramount Television.

      Years later, Viacom bought Paramount. Years after that, Viacom bought CBS. A few years after that, Viacom split into a TV company (now called CBS) and a movie company (now called Paramount). The TV company owns 'Star Trek' and JJ Trek is the movie company licensing Trek from the TV company. And CBS is the current instantiation of the company formerly known as Desilu.

  5. why i pirate by n3r0.m4dski11z · · Score: 3, Informative

    Are they doing anything right now to contribute to the franchise. Are they doing anything that is better than the fan made one? The answer is no. Then they should fuck off, move over and let actual interested parties, ACTUALLY DOING THE WORK, get whatever benefits those parties see fit.

    You shouldn't be able to copyright a fictional universe. As long as bullshit money rules, copyright has become the spurning of creativity, not supporting it. How many years do they own "star trek" for? beyond the lifetime of most humans?? and even then, its a 60s era remake!! if you cant make enough fucking money off an idea you BOUGHT from a human, in 60 years, whoes problem is that?

    A company by its nature can not produce a creative work. Humans do this, and the creative work should then remain the property of humanity, not corporations!

    How dare they dictate what people do in their own time, creatively, with their own resources and skills. Fuck CBS. This shit really pisses me off!!

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